Well-cleaner



(No Model.)

T. G. DAVISON.

WELL CLEANER.

No. 557,113. Patented 111211231, 1896.

Ira/@7020 7".

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS COBB DAVISON, OF VVOODVILLE, GEORGIA.

WELL-CLEAN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,113, dated March31, 1896.

Application filed August 14, 1895. $erial No. 559,223. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS COBB DAVISON, of Woodville, in the county ofGreene and State of Georgia, have invented a new and Improvedell-Cleaner, of which the following is a specification.

Bored wells are usually lined with boards or planks, forming arectangular shaft. Frequently such well-shafts become obstructed throughstones, sticks, &c., accidentally falling therein or being maliciouslythrown in. The present improved well-cleaner is designed for removingobstructions from such wells, and it is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective View of the cleaner. Fig. 2is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a cross-section.

The improved cleaner is an inverted bucket having open bottom, closedtop A, and rectangular side walls B B O 0. Two of the side walls B B areparallel and rigid, being rigidly connected with the top A and braced byan intermediate tie-bar a, while the other two side walls 0 O areparallel with each other and perpendicular to the walls B B, and arepivoted at or near their upper ends by any suitable pivots or hinges b bto the rigid body of the bucket formed by the top A, side walls B B, andtie-bar a. The top A and side walls B B O C are preferably made ofsheet-steel, the top A and rigid side walls B B being preferably bent orstamped into shape out of a single piece of metal. The side walls B Bare provided with bent-in flanges or stops 0 c, which confine theswinging walls C and limit their outward movement.

Extending vertically through the top A and suitably guided by anaperture d in the top A and by an eye 6 in a cross-bar f, between thefixed walls B B, is a manipulating-rod D. This rod D at its lower end ispivoted at g to the inner ends of two links E E, which at their outerends are pivoted at h to the movable side walls 0 0, respectively.WVhen, therefore, the rod D is elevated, the lower ends of the walls 0 Oapproach each other, closing the open bottom of the bucket. -When therod D is at right angles to the links E E, the walls 0 O are expanded asfar as possible and then are in contact with the stops 0 o of the rigidwalls B B. It is manifest that if the rod D should then be lowered themovable walls would again approach each other. To prevent this, thefurther downward movement of the rod D is prevented by its lower endcoming in contact with the tie-bar 6t just after the point of connectiong between the rod and links has passed below the plane (indicated by theline 1 i) of the pivots it, between the links and movable walls. By thismeans also the movable walls are maintained in their expanded position.

The bucket, as shown, is shaped in crosssection to conform to the shapeof the wellshaft and is just a trifle smaller than the well-shaft, so asto easily slide therein.

The bucket is provided with a loweringrope F and a hoisting-rope G,which ropes may be cords, wires, or chains. The lowering-rope F isattached to the bucket-body, preferably by a ring m on the rope and ahook 0 on the body, as shown, so that the rope may be detached.

The hoisting-rope G is attached to the upper end of the rod D.

Operation: In case there is an obstructionsay a stone-in the well-shaftthe bucket is lowered into the well-shaft by the rope E, open end down,during which descent the movable Walls are in their expanded position,and the area of the mouth of the bucket is hence only slightly less thanthe area of the well-shaft. Since the bucket conforms externally to theshape of the well-shaft, and slides closely therein, the bucketconsequently maintains the proper position relatively to the well-shaftduring the descent. Hence when the obstruction is reached the bucketdescends over and around the same. hen the descent of the bucket isarrested, the lowering-rope F is slackened until its ring m is releasedfrom hook 0, and then the rope F is pulled up out of the well-shaft. Thehoisting-rope G is then pulled. The first effect of this pull is toadvance the lower ends of the movable walls toward each other until theytouch beneath the obstruction, or until they grip the obstructionbetween them.

Then, thereafter, further pull on the hoisting rope elevates the bucket,and with it the contained or gripped obstruction. The presence of therigid side walls B B and the wide lower edges of the movable walls,extending across between the rigid walls, prevent the obstructionfalling out of the bucket during the ascent. The flanges c cprotect themovable wings during the descent and ascent.

I am aware that heretofore grapples have been used for raising andlowering tubing and tiles in wells, for raising drill-rods, and forremoving obstructions from wells, and hence I do not claim such agrapple, broadly; but

\Vhat I do claim is An inverted well-cleaning bucket conforming in shapeexternally to the well-shaft and adapted to fit loosely therein, saidbucket having, in combination, a body comprising two rigid side wallsconnected at their middles by a tie-bar, two movable side wallsperpendicular to said rigid walls and pivoted at their upper ends tosaid body between said rigid side walls, a vertically-movablemanipulating-rod movable and guided upon said body, the downwardmovement of said rod being limited by said tie-bar, and links pivoted tosaid rod and said movable side walls, the pivotal points between saidlinks and rod being below the plane of the pivots between said links andmovable side wall when said rod is at its downward limit of movement,substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing 0 witnesses.

THOMAS COBB DAVISON.

lVitnesses:

J. H. ARMSTRONG, S. W. DURHAM.

